Combined closure operator and latch



Oct. 17, 1933 e. H. LELAND 1,930,760

COMBINED CLOSURE OPERATOR AND LATCH Filed Dec. 19. 1929 2 sneaks-sheet 1 //v VENTOR.

GEO/76E H. LELAND.

ATTORNEY 1933- I I e. H. LELAND 1,930,760

comruzn CLOSURE OPERATOR AND LATCH Filed Dec. 19, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VENTOR.

wJ- k ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 17, 1933 George H. Leland, Dayton, Ohio, assignor. of

one-half to The Leland Electric Company, a

corporation of Ohio Application December 19, 1929 Serial No. 415,210

11 Claims. (01'. 26899) I This invention relates to a ventilator for buildings or the like and more particularly to a device for retaining a closure in its open position with relation to the ventilating opening and for releasing said closure to permit the same to return to its closed position. 1

One object of the invention is to provide a simple eflicient and easily operated device for controlling the position of the closure.

A further object of the invention is to provide a retaining device which will automatically lock I the closure in its open'position when the actuating device is moved in one direction and will be released by a further movement of the actuating device in the same direction to permit the closure to move to its closed position.

Other objects of the invention will appear as the device is described in detail.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 Ba rear elevation of a ventilator embodying my invention showing the same installed in a building; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of such a ventilator, partly in section; and Fig. 3 is a detail view of the keeper and guide. I

2 In these drawings I have illustrated one embodiment of the invention but it will be understood that this particular embodimenthas been chosen for the purpose of illustration only and that the device may take various forms without departing from the spirit of the invention. i

In that embodiment here illustrated I have shown the'ventilator as installed in a building of the saw-tooth type. Mounted in the upright wall of this building is a frame or plate 5 having therein a ventilating opening 6. This opening is preferably circular in shape to accommodate it toan exhaust fan 7 which, as here shown, is mounted on the shaft of a motor 8 which is carried by a opening. The opening is provided with a closure" 13 which corresponds in shape to the flange 6;

' 11 and 12, but is slightlylargerthan that flange and has about its edge an inwardly extending flange 14, which overlaps the flange surrounding the opening but isspaced therefrom, This 010- sure is carried by L-shaped arms 15, pivotally mounted above the opening and so arranged that their movement about their common axis will move the closure outwardly and upwardly, to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. When, as in the present instance, the closure is formed of sheet metal I prefer to provide it with reinforcing ribs 16, there being in the present instance a pair of such ribs adjacent toeachside of the closure. The endsoi the supporting arms 15 extend between the ribs of the respective pairs and are secured thereto by pins 17. Each arm has a toe 18 to engage the closure and limit the relative pivotal movement of the arms and the closure. A suitable actuating lever-19 is connected with the arms 15 to actuate the same and move the closure to its open position. Obviously when the actuating lever is released the weight of the closure will return it to its closed position. 'In the present instance, the actuating lever 19 and the arms 15 are rigidly secured to a shaft 30-75 mounted in a bearing 31 carried by the bracket 9.

g The actuating lever may be provided with any suitable'means for operating the same, such as as a pull cord 20 which extends to a point where it may be easily grasped and operated. 0

Mountedin a fixed position below the actuating lever- 19 is a keeper 21 which is here shown as having upwardly converging edges and as having a recess 22 in the lower edge thereof. This keeper may bemounted on any suitable support but I have here shown it as carried by and formed integral with the motor supporting bracket 9. Pivotally mounted on the actuating lever 19 is a locking member 23 which is shown in the form of a freely swinging arm having near its lower end a laterally extending stud-or pin24 to engagethekeeper. The lockingm'ember 23 is provided with means for imparting transverse movement thereto with relation to the keeper. In the present construction, it has at its lower end a Weighted arm -25 which extends in a direction away from thekeeper 21.

the keeper, by "the weighted arm 25, to position the stud beneath the keeper. Arranged below and spaced from the lower edge of the keeper is a device for guiding the stud 21-into the recess 22. This device in the present instance con-. sists of a lug'26, also formed integral with'the" 119 positions.

bracket 9, and having one end extending beyond the side of the keeper into the path of the stud 24 as the locking member moves downwardly with the actuating lever. This outwardly extending portion of the lug has its upper edge recessed or curved, as shown at 27, and has near its other end an upwardly extending projection 28 arranged below the recess 22 in the keeper, the upper surface of the projection being round-v ed. When the actuating lever is moved downwardly the locking member;23 will bemoved laterally toward the keeper due to the are through which it moves and the stud 24 will engage the adjacent side of the keeper and willbe'slightly deflected against the action of the weighted arm 25. As the stud passes the lower edge of the keeper it will engage the lug 26 whichwill check its downward movement. The lug is spaced from the keeper a distance sufficient to permit the passage of the stud and the action'of the weighted arm will movethe stud into aposition beneath the keeper and when the actuating lever is released the stud will ride up. over the adjacent edge of theprojection 28 into the recess 22 in the keeper, where it will be firmly seated and retained due to the pressure exerted on the actuating lever by the weight of the closure. It will be noted that when the stud 24 is seated in the recess in the keeper the locking. member is held against further movement by the weighted arm and is positioned at one side of its center of gravity. When the stud is in this position a further downward movement of the actuating lever will tend to move the stud out of the recess and the action of the weightedarm 25 will move thestud laterally beyond that side of the keeper opposite the side from which it entered the re- The center of gravity of the locking member is such that when the stud is thus freed from the keeper it will move upward alongside of the keeper when the lever is released, thus permitting the closure to move to its closed position and restore the several parts to their initial While I have shown and ment of my invention I wish it to be understood that I dov not desire to be limited to the details thereof as various modifications may occur to a person skilled in the art. Having now fully described my invention, what .11 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters .ing in a wall, and an actuating lever connected with said closure, a keeper mounted below said lever and having a recess in the lower edge thereof, a locking member pivotally supported on said lever and having a part to engage saidkeeper,

.means acting on said locking member to move said part thereof laterally with relation to said keeper, and a device arranged below said keeper .to guide said part of said lockingmember from oneside of said keeper into said recess upon one ,operation of said actuating lever and to cause the said part to move from said recess to the other side of said keeper upon a succeeding operation of said lever. I

.2. In a ventilator comprising a closure movable into and out of a position to close an opening in a wall and an actuating lever connected -with said closure,.a keeper mounted below said .lever, a locking member pivotally mounted on .said lever and having a part to engage said keeper, means acting on said locking member described one embodito move the same laterallywith relation to said keeper, and a device arranged below said keeper,

.downwarld'movement of said lever.

3. In a ventilator comprising a closure movable into and out of a position to close an opening in a wall, and an actuating lever connected with said closure, akeeper mounted below said lever and having a recess in the lower edge thereof, a locking member pivotally supported on said lever and having a stud to engage said keeper and move saidlocking member about its axis as said lever moves downwardly, means acting on said locking member to resist said movement and to. restore said locking member to its normal position when said stud passes beyond said keeper, a devicearranged below said keeper to engage said .stud as it moves past said keeper, and guide thesame into said recess when the pressure on said lever is relieved, said device being so arranged with relation to said keeper that a furtherdownward pressure on said lever willcause said stud to move from said recess to that side of said keeper opposite the side from which it entered said recess.

4. In a ventilator comprising aclosure movable into and out of a position to close an opening in a wall, and an actuating lever connected with said closureQa keeper, mounted below said lever, a locking member pivotally mounted on said lever, a weighted arm carried by'said member and extending in a direction away from said keeper, a stud carried by said locking member to engage said keeper, and a lug arranged below said keeper in the path of said stud to check thedownward movement of said locking member and causesaid stud to be movedinto locking engagement with said keeper, said lug being so shaped that a fur- .ther downward movement of said lever will cause said stud to move out of engagement with said keeper and beyond that side thereof opposite the side fromwhich it moved into engagement with said keeper.

5. In a ventilator comprising a closure movable.

into and out of a position to close an opening in a wall, and an actuating lever connected .with

said closure, a keeper mounted below said lever,

having its lateral edges converging upwardly and having a recess in the lower edge thereof, a lug arranged below and spaced from said keeper, extending beyond one side thereof and having a projection arranged in line with the recess in said keeper, a locking member pivotally'mounted on said actuating lever, a weightedarm extending from said locking member in a direction away from said keeper, and a stud carried by said lockstud will be guided. into the recess in said keeper and when further downward movement is imparted to said lever said stud;will be.moved out ,of said recess beyond-that side of said keeper opposite theside from which it entered the recess.

' .6 In a ventilator comprising a closure. movable into and out of a position to close an opening in a wall, a bracket mounted on said wall on the inner side of said opening, a shaft journaled in said bracket above said opening, arms rigidly secured to said shaft, extending through said opening and connected with said closure, an actuating lever rigidly secured to said shaft, a locking member pivotally mounted on said actuating lever, a weighted arm connected with said locking member, a stud carried by said locking member, a keeper mounted on said bracket, having its lateral edges converging upwardly and so arranged that one edge thereof will be engaged by said stud when said actuating lever is moved downwardly, and a lug arranged beneath said keeper in the path of said stud to check the downward movement of said locking member and to guide said stud into a position beneath said keeper when said actuating lever is released, and so arranged with relation to said keeper that a further downward movement of said actuating lever will cause said stud to be moved beyond that side of said keeper opposite the side from which it moved beneath the same.

7. In a ventilator comprising a closure movable into and out of a position to close an opening in a wall, an actuating member connected with said closure, a keeper, a locking device connected with said actuating member for up and down movement thereby, supported normally above said keeper and mounted for swinging movement into and out of locking engagement with the lower edge of said keeper when said locking device has been moved downwardly, and means acting on said locking device to cause the same to swing from one side of said keeper into locking engagement with the lower edge thereof upon the initial operation of said actuating device and to swing out of locking engagement with said keeper to the other side thereof upon a subsequent operation of said actuating member.

8. In a ventilator comprising a closure movable into and out of a position to close an opening in a wall, an actuating member connected with said closure, a keeper mounted below said actuating member, a locking device connected with said actuating member for up and down movement thereby and for lateral movement with relation thereto, said locking device having a part movable into and out of locking engagement with the lower edge of said keeper by the lateral movement of said locking device, means acting on said locking device to cause said part to move into locking engagement with said lower edge of said keeper when said locking device is moved downwardly past said keeper on one side thereof, and a device arranged below said keeper to interrupt the downward movement of said locking device and to cause said part of said locking device to move out of engagement with said keeper toward the other side thereof when said locking device is again moved downwardly.

9. In a ventilator comprising a closure movable into and out of a position to close an opening in a wall, an actuating member connected with said closure, a keeper mounted below said actuating member, a locking device connected with said actuating member for downward movement thereby, said locking device having a part movable into and out of locking engagement with the lower edge of said keeper, means acting on said locking device to move the same laterally when said part thereof has been moved below said keeper, and a device arranged below said keeper in the path of said part of said locking device to guide the same from one side of said keeper into locking engagement with the lower edge thereof upon one movement of said actu'ating'member and to guide said part of said locking device out of engagement with said keeper and beyond the other side of said keeper upon a subsequent operation of said actuating device.

10. In a ventilator comprising a closure movable into and out of a position to close an opening in a wall, and an actuating lever connected wtih said closure, a keeper mounted in a fixed position below said lever, a locking member pivotally suspended from said lever for swinging movement transversely to said keeper, said locking member having a part arranged to engage one side of said keeper when said lever is moved downwardly and cause the lower end of said locking member to lag behind the center of gravity of said locking member until said part has passed the lower edge of said keeper when said part will be moved by gravity beneath said keeper into a position in which it will engage said keeper and prevent the upward movement of said locking member, and a device cooperating with said keeper to guide said part of said locking member to the other side of said keeper when said lever is again moved downwardly.

11. In a ventilator comprising a closure movable into and out of a position to close an opening in said wall, and an actuating lever connected with said closure, a keeper mounted in a fixed position below said lever and having a recess in the lower edge thereof, a locking member pivotally suspended from said lever for swinging movement transversely to said keeper, said locking member having a part arranged to engage one side of said keeper when said locking member is moved downwardly and to cause the lower end of said locking member to lag behind the center of gravity of said locking member until said part has passed the lower edge of said keeper when said part will be moved by gravity beneath said keeper, means cooperating with said keeper to check the lateral movement of said part beneath said keeper, and

cause said port to enter the recess in said keeper when said locking member is released for upward movement, said means being so arranged that a subsequent downward movement of said lockin! member will cause said part thereof to move out of said recess and beyond that side of said keeper opposite the side first engaged by said part.

GEORGE H. LELAND. 

